Monday, June 3, 2013
Apple MacBook Air 11 Mid 2011 Subnotebook Review
Apple has stuck to this policy for years: new trends, but do not jump on any bandwagon going. " So, for example netbook hype the past two years there is almost no sign of Apples product portfolio. Their response was to the IPAD, which produces results that we all know.
The MacBook Air back to 2008, its first generation, as the theme of "ultrabooks" that is especially thin laptops under $ 1,000, is currently being discussed by many manufacturers, it will be another knowing smile to remember the faces of computer users. In addition, 11 officers from the air price is $ 999, which is an incredible coincidence!
Specifications Apple Macbook Air 11 inch 2011-07 MC969D/A :
- Processor : Intel Core i5 2467M 1.6 GHz
- Mainboard : Intel ID0104
- Memory : 4096 MB, DDR3 1333MHz
- Graphics adapter : Intel HD Graphics 3000
- Display : 11.6 inch 16:9, 1366x768 pixel, LP116WH4-TJA3, LED, glossy: yes
- Harddisk : Apple TS128C, GB
- Soundcard : HD Audio
- Connections : 2 USB 2.0, 1 DisplayPort, Thunderbolt (Mini-Displayport)
- Networking : Broadcom 802.11n (abgn), 4.0 Bluetooth
- Size : height x width x depth (in mm): 17 x 300 x 192
- Weight : 1.07 kg Power Supply: 0.19 kg
- Battery : 35 Wh Lithium-Polymer
- Price : 1149 Euro
- Operating System : Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
- Additional features : Webcam: FaceTime Cam, 12 Months Warranty
For the 11-inch laptop, like its big brother the MacBook Air 13, Apple uses the same chassis that was made so that the air in 2010. And almost a year later, the aluminum unibody is still one of the best materials the most demanding of today could call his own. The look, feel, quality of construction - there is simply no real points of criticism here.
On the contrary, the more you play with the laptop, the more satisfied you will receive in this regard. Details about the case can also be found in our previous test of the machine from 2010, which is of identical construction.
The keyboard is always backlit LEDs, whose brightness can be set at many different levels, such as screen brightness. Compared to 13 inches in the air, youll see almost the same layout and key size. Only the ranks of F and the extra features in it has been made thinner.
Connectivity
As with the Air 13-inch, Apple has added a port 11 Thunderbolt Air The other port remains unchanged from the previous model, meaning that you have to do with two USB 2.0 ports, ports and port helmet. Compared to the current 13-inch air, you must also do without an SD card reader.
This theme was Thunderbolt should be noted that there is much to benefit from this port, at the time. Only Apple provides an auto-compatible 27-inch (including additional ports), will cost about 900 euros. Lightning port can also be used for a mini-DisplayPort. Then, using the appropriate cable or adapter, a traditional display may also be connected to Air. Further information can be found in our review of the port 13 Thunderbolt MacBook Air
Communication
WLAN, which follows the 802.11 a / b / g is part of the standard material for this series, and Bluetooth 4.0. There is no RJ45 network port to be found, it was probably too big to Air. Apple does offer a suitable adapter for USB and slow it for a price of course (approx. 30 euros) or you can use the screen above Thunderbolt with its LAN port.
Guarantee
The manufacturers warranty for Apple MacBook 11 is 12 months. You can also purchase extended warranties of 12 or 24 months, including telephone support.
Display
Although the basic details of the screen has not changed - 11.6 in. Display, 1366 x 768 resolution, a shiny surface - it is still a new panel that has been integrated in this model. In our model of identifying the review committee LP116WH4-TJA3 and is manufactured by LG Philips. In some Internet forums, there are messages on a second screen version (LTH116AT01A04) that can be manufactured by Samsung.
Our LG screen has a maximum brightness of 355 cd / m² in the tests with the Mavo Gossen meters. The average brightness is still very bright 318 cd / m², making it one of the best in its class of machine. The black value of only 0.56 cd / m² is also excellent with an outstanding contrast ratio of 634:1.
Compared to its predecessor in 2010, which was equipped with a screen LTH116AT01A01, we see an improvement in brightness (up to 340 cd / m², average of 296 cd / m²).
AnandTech revised MacBook Air 11 with Samsung screen (LTH116AT01A04) in their machine. The panel shows a slightly worse black, but a higher peak brightness of 0.61 and 386 cd / m², respectively. No rules have yet been observed, which would decide which of the two possible display types used in the configuration.
A look at the color space can be represented produce any surprises. sRGB can not be completely covered, the predecessor of the machine of 2010 was more or less the same league, while the screen of the MacBook Air 13 in 2011 (LP133WP1-TJA3) covers practically the same size as the screen 11 inches from the same manufacturer.
The stability of viewing angles are quite comparable with the 13-inch model we tested, putting it slightly above average among the last laptops. Horizontally, even very wide viewing angles as possible without causing major problems, and in vertical direction, the more it deviates from the ideal straight on viewing angle, the picture is more wash or affected by the effect of well-known inversion.
Performance
A new processor Sandy Bridge gets its chance in this 11-inch MacBook Air, as in the 13 inch version. Starting level is a Core i5-2467M with a base speed of 1.6 GHz. The chip is slower than i5-2557M Processor (1.7 GHz), which is the starting point for the 13-inch model. As with the larger model, there is an option to switch to Core i7-2677M with 1.8 GHz.
Taking care of the graphics you need an Intel HD 3000 Graphics intregrated units in the CPU. But even here, the difference between a version of Apples 256 MB and 384 MB of shared memory. This is directly proportional to the amount of RAM in each model.
So begins 2 GB version (which are closely welded to bottom, not upgradeable!), Dynamic memory that is available on the GPU is limited to 256 MB, but the 4 GB of installed RAM, HD 3000 graphics may be a larger part of the series . But this does not change anything in the graphics department. Great video memory is usually necessary or useful for a game or multi-monitor setup.
CPU Performance
To judge the performance of the new Intel Core i5-2467M processor, we return to our CPU benchmark standard tools using Windows via Boot Camp. SuperPi in 32 M-test (calculation of exactly 32 million decimal places) MacBook Air with i5-2467M CPU needed just 903 seconds.
To compare: Intel Processor Arrandale ranks 460 / 520M at about the same level, while the new Intel Core i3-2310M processor Sandy Bridge is itself a bit longer (940-980) to complete the task. Apple MacBook Air 13 but with a little more powerful i5-2557M calculates much faster at 763 seconds, put it in the same league as Intel Core i5-2410M processor.
Looking back on the air 11 from 2010 with its SU9400 processor provides a powerful demonstration of improved performance: 1936 seconds, which means that the calculation of the speed is more than doubled.
While SuperPi uses only a single nucleus, the son wPrime calibration tool uses all the CPU. With 869.7 seconds in the test of 1024 m, our chip is just behind i3-2310M processor. The air stream 13 is also ahead here, with 764.6 seconds (i5-2557M). The CPU 13 of the Air SL9400 2010 was beaten back by almost 50%.
In Cinebench R10 (64 bit) CPU test only Air scored 3610 with 2467M processor, which can stand in front of Intel 2310M. The Air 2557M processor reaches 13 with 4201 points from the set at almost the same level as the mid-range processors 2410M. In the same test, but 32-bit mode, the new Air New beats its predecessor in 2010 by about double.
The results of multi-threaded Cinebench rendering test of (64 bits) is basically the same. With 7188 points in the Air from Apple, 11 in 2011 is just behind other notebooks with Intel Core i3-2310M processor. But with his 13 Air CPU 2557M is a part of the ground lost in the test score of 8266 points, which is a much better result than the air 11, but it is still clearly behind the other machines on the CPU 2410M.
Compared to the predecessor of Air 11, we again had to settle for 32-bit mode because of the lack of comparable data. With 5946 points to 2852 points, look back nine to beat the previous model from 2010 with SU9400 CPU with more than 100%.
In the end, ran Cinebench CPU R11.5 last. 1.9 points, ranking CPU 2467M almost the same level as Arrandale i3 330M CPU, the chip in late 2310 m modern. Air 2010 SU9400 reaches 0.9 points, while the ignition, surprise surprise, only about half of the performance of the new entry-level CPU 2467M.
Geekbench - CPU performance Mac OS X
The small ultra-thin notebook from Apple may also show its processing power when running Mac OS X. Especially when compared to the previous Core 2 Duo, Core i5 is considerably faster and can even get a head start on the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo P8600 MacBook Pro in the 13 from 2010.
Throttling
We want a closer look at the limitation of subject because there have been some complaints about this in the past with other laptops from Apple. Again, we used Windows Boot Camp as our test platform, as analytical tools it offers, and MacOS.
I5 Intel 2467M used in this notebook, as its portfolio of adult colleagues Sandy Bridge CPU, the speed of bandwidth, in this case from 1.6 to 2.3 GHz, depending on the number of threads / cores on time. How does this dynamic range can be used in turbo depends more on the cooling power of a laptop case.
While in both cores idle still regularly come from 2299 MHz (high performance profile), the speed of the two nuclei falls to 1999 MHz under stress, ie in the SuperPi and Cinebench R10 test single CPU. Sometimes, just for a short time, an acceleration of a nucleus with its maximum at 2.3 GHz are observed.
In the multi-threaded Cinebench R10 and R11.5 CPU tests in Cine, the two cores were stable in 1999 MHz, consistent with our observations, although the experiments were carried out in an infinite loop.
He took the maximum Prime95 stress scenario and Furmark to win the frequencies into submission. Shortly after starting the stress test, we noticed the speed of 1199 MHz for both cores. About an hour after the pressure of the stress test finally identified after repeated, short-term reduction in CPU speed of 799 Mhz.
And interesting, we found the temperature of the CPU with HWMonitor always remained uncritical area of about 80 ° C. The power adapter is, however, touches the limits of the ability of suppliers of energy (45 watts), with peak values up to 44.9 watts during the test. This could be a possible explanation for the limitation that we have seen repeated.
We also had a detailed look at the pattern of behavior of the benchmark in the last MacBook Air, for example, showed an interesting trend to produce better results over time or with higher fan speed.
We start with the single CPU test Cine R10. In the test circuit is scored for 3517, 3562, 3591, 3565 and 3610 points. The fan continues to increase its speed to the end of the first test (from 80 ° C). Maximum temperature of the CPU, there was only about 80 ° C (second run-through), while after round temperature of about 70 ° C. No signs of strangulation here, done everything there is a slight improvement in baseline scores.
We tested the same model of analysis based this time in the film R10 benchmark multiple CPUs. It was noted the next set of results: 7024, 7141, 7126, 7117 and 7188, the fan reaches a speed of 5000 rpm in the third run-through and more importantly, the CPU temperature remained constant at just under 90 ° C thereafter.
In Cinebench R11.5 the latest processors, we saw an almost identical picture, with a score of 1.31, 1.91. 1.92 and 1.92 points. In the first run through, we saw CPU temperatures up to 97 ° C. After that, the fan speed increased, peaking at 6500 rpm, with which you can keep the CPU temperature 80-84 ° C. stable
Then also prepared a series of tests for MacOS X Cinebench, if only we have been able to measure the CPU temperature and fan speed with SMC fancontrol tool. In a single CPU test R10 Film, we observed the following series of results: 3142, 3194, 3150, 3159 and 3162.
In the first run through, the fan starts to increase speed of about 80 ° C to count. This prevents an increase in temperature above 80 ° C, after smcFanControl. In addition, the fan speed never exceeded 3500 rpm for our observations.
In multi-CPU Cinebench R10 test, we recorded the following result set: 6452, 6522, 6511, 6493, 6510, 6490 and 6520.
The first training started to increase the fan speed of about 90 ° C point. The fan speed is increased by subsequent run-through, and the CPU temperature was held constant significantly less than 90 ° C.
With MacOS as with Windows, a higher temperature in the test faster CPU Cinebench Cinebench R10 R11.5 in multi-CPU test. The fan starts quickly and has already reached its maximum at 6500 rpm for the first run through, keeping the CPU temperature below 80 ° C. It is much less than the same test when you run Windows, for example. Results: points 1.92, 1.93, 1.93 and 1.94.
